2016 Postmortem

Somehow everyone (particularly right wingers) forgets that when Reagan was elected we slumped into a huge recession immediately afterward. In my hometown a large percentage of the farm families went bankrupt and never returned to farming. Inflation was out of control and Carter tightened up the money supply by appointing Paul Volker to the fed, Reagan blamed it all on Carter (successfully).

Trump's resume would be most like Herbert Hoover. Hoover never served in elective office, Hoover was wealthy, Hoover never served in the military.

I'm waiting for Trump's first 'let them eat cake' moment, when he demonstrates that he has no idea what the working class is suffering through.

The upside of this whole disaster is that Hoover's depression ended republican control of the government for decades to follow. The downside is that it's probably time to tighten up our belts.

It really is about the press though. Whatever media form takes control of 'the truth' in the next 4 to 8 years will decide which party will control the government for the next generation.

Roosevelt spoke directly to the people on the radio, and the military industrial complex owned the television when Reagan took office. Carter never fired a shot, dropped a bomb etc. George W. Bush rose to power through the ownership and control of media too.

If we don't fight for more control over media, it'll be a while before we are in control again.